


Judge Softly

by LarielRomeniel



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Body Swap, F/M, Gen, Getting Closure, Hurt/Comfort, Leonard/Ray friendship (maybe if Len doesn't kill Ray out of aggravation), Snart being snarky, trading places
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-02 13:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6568495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarielRomeniel/pseuds/LarielRomeniel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two of the Legends walk a mile in each other's moccasins after a mission goes pear-shaped (so what else is new?). Drama, seasoned with angst, humor, some Ray/Kendra, a barely reformed Mick Rory, and just a smidge of CaptainCanary. Series compliant through 1x09.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow” is the property of D.C. Entertainment. I’ll put all the characters back where I found them, promise.
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is my first published fic in a long. long time, and my first one set in the Arrowverse. Series compliant through 1x09 “Left Behind,” then it goes a bit off the rails!

CHAPTER 1

_\--August 23, 2063 - Waverider Medbay--_

“I know this sounds weird, but for once, Vandal Savage did us a favor,” Ray said, sliding off the Medbay bed after Gideon pronounced him fit. He landed awkwardly and stumbled a little, until Rip steadied him.

On the second bed, Snart rolled his eyes. “You _would_ be an optimist about this,” he growled.

Ray shrugged. “He didn’t kill us.”

Snart fixed him with a glare. “He didn’t kill _us_ because he was too busy killing his turncoat minion first!”

Unfazed, Ray went on, “Well, the team would never have found us if he hadn’t set off that explosion.”

“If you hadn’t noticed, that explosion destroyed the one thing that could fix _this_ mess!” Snart shot back.

“I don’t suppose this is a good time to tell you your Cold Gun got busted, too?” Jax asked.

“It just gets better and better!” Snart groaned. He stood carefully and looked over the damage.

Aches and pains and soot and some weird orange _goo_ all over. His arms were wrong. His hands were wrong. Hell, _everything_ was wrong. Walking across the room gave him an awkward feeling he hadn’t had since his first teenaged growth spurt, but he shrugged off Stein’s attempt to help him.

And then there was that wounded puppy expression on his face…

A face Ray Palmer was currently wearing.

* * *

  _\--August 22, 2063, Waverider Bridge--_

They had a fix on Savage in San Diego, where he had a hilltop mansion and a majority stake in a biotech company that had recently begun work on biological weapons.

“I thought those were against the Geneva Convention or something?” Jax asked as the team gathered around the holo table.

“Since when has that stopped anyone?” Mick snorted. “Even before the Time Masters trained me, I knew that promises were meant to be broken and deals don’t mean a damned thing.” The last sentence came out as a growl, and he stared fiercely across the table at his onetime partner.

This was one of those days when Snart didn’t think Gideon’s careful weeks of deprogramming would hold. That stare was as searing as the flames of the heat gun Rip still kept locked away out of Mick’s reach. This might be the day they had to use the trigger word planted as a post-hypnotic suggestion in Mick’s brain. It would cut him down like a massive tree, so they could lock him up again and start over. Snart drew in a breath, the word at the tip of his tongue, just in case.

Then Rip cleared his throat, drawing Mick’s gaze away. The big man relaxed, and Snart let his breath out again.

“Leaving cynicism aside,” Rip said, “Savage’s puppets in Congress disavowed the Convention last year, just before he took over LJ BioGene. Three years from now, the company will produce a superbug version of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which Savage will put into the water supplies of communities that oppose him. Millions will die, but they’ll go insane first.”

“Poisoning the wells with a mutated version of mad cow disease,” Stein breathed. Rip nodded grimly in response.

“Wait a second,” Ray interrupted. “LJ BioGene? I know those people.” He stopped and corrected himself. “I _knew_ those people. They were researching the immune system and human longevity fifty years ago.”

“And they still were last year,” Gideon interjected. A Wall Street Journal article, including a picture of Savage, appeared on the holo display. “But after the takeover, Savage told a shareholders meeting that the company’s resources would be redirected to more profitable enterprises.”

“Like making superbugs,” Jax said.

Ray shook his head in disgust. “Have to make the shareholders happy.”

“Always more money to be made in killing people than in making them live longer,” Snart said dryly.

“And Savage probably doesn’t want any competition in the immortality game,” Sara observed. She glanced over at Rip. “Remember that ritual back in 1975?”

The Captain frowned as Kendra winced. During the ritual, Savage drained the blood from Carter Hall’s body into a chalice, which he passed around to his followers. He claimed one sip would give them an extra hundred or so years of life.

“An alternate source of near-immortality could make his followers less loyal,” Rip conceded. “Savage needs his army to succeed. Even an immortal can’t take over the world all on his own, whether or not he’s armed with a deadly disease.”

“Attila had to have his Huns,” Jax said. He looked at the raised eyebrows all around him. “What? I liked European History. The teacher was cool.”

Rip smiled slightly. “Your history books didn’t tell you that Savage _was_ Attila.”

“Quite the curriculum vitae,” Stein said derisively.

Kendra’s eyes widened. “I’d forgotten that,” she murmured. Then, in a louder voice, she said, “Savage chased us all over Europe. He finally caught up to us in northern Italy, near Venice. His army sacked our town while he killed us, again.”

Ray clasped Kendra’s hand as the team stood in silence for a moment. But only for a moment. Quiet reflection wasn’t Snart’s style, and he broke the silence impatiently. “Now that we’ve had our history lesson for the day, what’s the plan?”

“Oh, you’ll like it, Mr. Snart,” Rip said, his slight smile returning. “It calls for lots of breaking and entering.”

* * *

_\--August 23, 2063 - Waverider Medbay--_

The Time Master pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a whopper of a headache coming on, and Gideon’s explanation of the predicament wasn’t helping any. 

“I cannot detect any sign of brain damage,” the AI reported. “Physiologically, both Dr. Palmer and Mr. Snart are fine.”

“But this isn’t a physiological problem,” Professor Stein objected. “From what they are telling us, this is a matter of mind. Their minds have been exchanged.”

“Sounds like a bad ‘Star Trek’ episode,” Jax said as Kendra ran into the Medbay, heading straight for what she thought was her boyfriend’s side until he held up a hand to stop her.

“Not that I don’t like you, Kendra,” he said. The voice was Ray’s, but the intonation was all Leonard Snart, an icy drawl. “But I’m not the man you think I am.”

Kendra looked around in confusion. “I don’t understand. Ray, that doesn’t sound like you at all.”

“That’s because he’s not Ray,” Rip said. “He and Mr. Snart became human guinea pigs for a… what did you call it again?”

“A Soul Swapper,” Ray offered helpfully.

Kendra stepped back from the man she thought was Ray. “So you’re…”

“Captain Cold at your service,” Snart answered, inclining his head slightly. “I’ve taken a lot of things that weren’t mine, but this one tops ‘em all. Although it wasn’t really my heist.”

Kendra looked stunned. “What are we going to do?”“We’ll figure something out,” Stein soothed. “We always do.”

“Either that,” Ray said, “or our relationship is going to get more complicated than it already is.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow” is the property of D.C. Entertainment, no matter how much I might wish they were mine.
> 
> Author’s note: As I mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, I started this because Brandon Routh said he wanted to play Captain Cold. This chapter was especially fun to write, but also especially tough because of the flashback format. And I once again want to note, this chapter was written before the airing of 1x10 “Progeny,” so any similarities to the series after 1x09 are purely coincidental.

_\--August 23, 2063 - Waverider Crew Quarters--_

After ten minutes of listening to the team’s tech experts debate the best way to get Ray and Snart back into their proper bodies, Snart stalked out of the Medbay, mumbling about needing a shower and an aspirin. He passed Sara on the way out, and she stared in surprise at the scowl on Ray’s normally-friendly face. Or what she thought was Ray’s face.

Ray found himself explaining the problem once again to Sara, and then a third time to Mick. By the end of it, Ray had a headache too. And that orange goo was starting to itch.

That had been about an hour ago, enough time for Ray to get an aspirin of his own and get cleaned up himself. Or to clean up Snart. Snart’s body, that is....

This was going to be very confusing.

Showered and changed, Ray paced worriedly in the hallway outside Snart’s room until the other man emerged, combing his hair back with his fingers in irritation.

“I haven’t had this much hair since I was a kid. Took me forever to get all the soot out,” Snart complained. “I almost buzzed it all off instead, but I don’t want Kendra getting mad at me for screwing with your looks.” He paused and studied Ray. “But you’re screwing with mine. I don’t remember ever, _ever_ having that expression on my face. What is that, sympathy?" 

Ray hesitated for a moment, and then said, “I had to look in the mirror to make sure I scrubbed everything off… you know, that orange stuff was sticky and hopefully it wasn’t carcinogenic and…”

Snart stopped him cold. “Is there a point here, and are you planning on getting to it today?”

Ray looked away for a moment, and then forced himself to meet the other man’s stony eyes again. “I saw… I saw the scars. I just wanted…”

“Just wanted _what_ , Raymond?” Snart snarled. “To apologize because I’ve had a rough life? To offer me some tea and sympathy because my dad beat the crap out of me night after night, before you were old enough to start earning those damned merit badges of yours?” He laughed bitterly. “Don’t bother. I don’t need it. It doesn’t fix anything. Let’s just fix _this_.” He turned to stalk down the hallway. “I don’t drink tea anyway.”

Ray reached out and grabbed Snart’s arm. “Hold on. I wasn’t going to apologize for those things. And I don’t make tea.” He swallowed, as Snart turned back and glared at him. “I was going to apologize for the way I’ve judged you ever since this whole mission started. Remember when we were trying to steal the dagger from Savage’s mansion?” Snart nodded, and Ray went on, “When I said you could have been an electrical engineer, I was judging you as a man who made bad choices of his own free will.”

Snart’s eyes – _his_ eyes – were still hard. And so cold. “And now?”

“And now…” Ray couldn’t handle the chilly glare any more and looked away again. “I’ve seen scars like that before, on Oliver Queen. He got them because he chose to fight to save his city, acting out of his own free will. But you…” Ray looked back at Snart. “You’ve never been free. Not really. You didn’t choose anything except to do what you could to survive.”

Those cold eyes thawed a little. “Guess you‘re not as dumb as you usually look,” he said. He looked down to where Ray was still holding him back. “Gonna leave a bruise on your own arm there, Raymond.”

Ray let him go and fell in step beside Snart as they began to head back to the bridge. After a moment, he said, “You know, you really looked intimidating there. Or, I mean, you made _me_ look intimidating. My face, I mean. I never knew I could be such a scary looking guy.”

He knew he was babbling again, but Snart only chuckled. “Sometimes a glare can be as good as a gun, if you know how to use it, and when.” He gave Ray a sidelong look. “So, were the scars the only thing you looked at while you were cleaning me up?”

Ray stopped and spluttered, “Wha— _what_?”

Snart grinned tightly, not showing his teeth, and kept walking. “You know what I mean.

Ray trotted to catch up to him. “You mean, you looked?" 

“The bathroom mirrors _ar_ e full length, remember? Kinda hard not to. But take it from a criminal, Raymond: Looking’s not a crime,” he said as he strode into the main room, where the others were gathered.

“Looking at what?” Kendra asked curiously, looking between the two men as Ray paused in the entrance.

Snart gave her a sunny smile, this time with teeth. He looked much more Ray-like than he had in the corridor. Except a slight chill was back in his eyes. “Just… things.” He lounged in one of the seats. “I will say that I won’t be calling Ray one of the ladies anymore.”

Jax’s eyes bugged, and he made a strangled sound while Kendra gasped. Ray felt his cheeks get hot. Snart raised an eyebrow, and continued, “Now, that’s something else I’ve never seen on that face. You’re blushing. I didn’t think my face knew how to do that.”

“Stop it!” Kendra snapped furiously at Snart, her wings suddenly flaring out and her eyes reddening. She took a step toward him with her hand raised.

Sara caught it before it swung down. “Hold on, Kendra! Don’t hawk out on Ray’s body!” Sara held tightly to the other woman until her wings furled again and she took a step back, scowling.

“Thanks, Assassin,” Snart smirked at the women. The expression was too much for Ray. He squared his shoulders and started for Snart, only to be held back by Rip and Stein.

“Enough!” the former Time Master roared. “If you two want to have a cage match when you’re back in your own bodies, you can be my guests!”

“We’ve still got my cage down below,” Mick offered. “I’ll make the popcorn.”

Rip gave the big man a quelling look. “Right now we need to cooperate with each other! So, in your American vernacular, _grow up_!”

Ray relaxed a little, enough for the others to let him go. Stein pushed his glasses back up his nose and glanced between the switched men. “Well. If everyone is ready to behave with some more calm and maturity, I’ll show you what Gideon and I have figured out.”

* * *

 

_\--August 22, 2063 – Waverider Bridge--_

Breaking and entering was always good, even if he was stuck doing it with the billionaire Boy Scout.

Rip divided the team into three groups. Ray and Snart would break into LJ BioGene to destroy the super bug and the world’s only remaining samples of the mad cow virus. Then they’d plant a virus of their own: A computer worm created by Gideon to wipe out all of the company’s biological weapons research. 

“What if some bright young scientist has already memorized the formula for this superbug?” Snart objected.

“The formula on its own is useless without the base organism,” Rip answered. “The superbug is a genetically modified version of the original Creutzfeldt-Jakob, a disease that was defeated worldwide twenty-five years ago.”

Gideon added, “Without the samples and the data, it will take them a century to recreate an artificial version of the virus.”

“That would set back Savage’s timetable for world domination,” Sara noted. “And buy us a little more time to deal with him.”

“And perhaps save your family,” Stein added.

Rip shook his head. “That part is uncertain. The timeline is still very malleable there. But it _is_ certain that these viruses will kill millions, no matter what happens with the rest of history. So it’s vital that you make sure to get all of them.”

He picked up a device on the table and extended it to Snart. “This is a modification for your Cold Gun. Attach it to the muzzle. It will alter the gun’s output to a form of radiation that will destroy the viruses. While you do that, Dr. Palmer will wipe everything about the virus from the network.” 

“They may have the viruses in just one place, but all the data is sure to be backed up off-site,” Ray pointed out as he examined the tiny flash drive containing the worm. 

Rip nodded. “And it is, in two places. The first is Steel Pyramid, the largest data security and cloud storage company in this era. It happens to be just down the coast, and it happens to be owned by Vandal Savage.”

The holographic display changed to show the Steel Pyramid building. It really was a shining pyramid of metal and glass. Kendra shook her head at the sight. 

“He’s really stuck in the past, isn’t he?” she asked. “I bet he’s running Horus worship services in there.”

“It would be a lot easier if he just stuck to papyrus,” Stein said. “We could burn the paper trail and be done with it.”

“I like burning things,” Mick interjected.

“We don’t need your pyrotechnic skills tonight, Mr. Rory,” Rip said. He picked up another drive and pocketed it. “Professor Stein, you and Mr. Jackson will join me on Team Two. We will get into Steel Pyramid to plant Gideon’s worm. Once it’s propagated, the two of you will merge into Firestorm to generate a nuclear electromagnetic pulse to disrupt Steel Pyramid’s cloud system.”

“It will also disrupt all internet service in the San Diego area for a short time,” Gideon said. 

Jax shrugged. “So people won’t be able to watch cat videos for while.”

“I like cat videos,” Mick said, in the same tone he'd used before. Jax and Sara both choked back a laugh at that, while Snart rolled his eyes. Even Stein managed a resigned smile.

Rip waited for the group to settle, then continued. “Mr. Rory, you’ll be too busy to watch any cat videos this evening. You will be part of team three, with Ms. Lance and Ms. Saunders. The three of you have to destroy the other backup, in Savage’s home on Mount Soledad.” He handed the third flash drive over to Sara. “And while you’re at it, see if you can retrieve the Amon Dagger.”

Sara nodded. “And if we’re really lucky, Kendra will get another chance to kill him. Sounds simple enough. Which means there’s something you haven’t told us yet.”

“I was getting to it, Sara,” the former Time Master replied. “Delivery of the worm must be simultaneous. If it’s planted in any one location before the others, that will trigger a fail-safe memory dump to Savage’s other subsidiaries.”

“So they could still create the virus,” Ray said. “Just a lot later.”

“Yes,” Rip agreed. “Timing for this mission is more vital than ever before, so everyone needs to stay focused. Once we’re all in position, we’ll use the comms to synchronize releasing the worm.” The Time Master looked around the table. “Gideon has blueprints for all three locations. Study them while you suit up, and good luck to all of us.”

* * *

  _\--August 22, 2063 – LJ BioGene--_

“We’re in,” Snart said quietly as he pushed open the door marked _Biohazard Storage_. He’d left Ray down the hall in the network server room.

“Team Two is in position as well,” Rip reported through the comms. “Team Three, any word?”

“Give us a minute,” Sara answered. “Mick’s working on disabling the security system.”

“Savage isn’t home,” Kendra added. “Even if we find the dagger, I probably won’t get a shot at him tonight.”

“Very well,” Rip said. “Mr. Snart, you don’t need to wait for the rest of us for your part. Have you located the viruses?”

“I’ve located lots of viruses here,” Snart said, looking around the room. Metal shelves lined the walls, each shelf loaded with vials and labeled with different names. He latched the Cold Gun modifier onto his weapon. “Smallpox, HIV, bubonic plague…”

“Bubonic plaque is actually a bacterial infection,” Rip interjected. 

Snart rolled his eyes. “It can still kill. This place is like a candy store for mad scientists.” 

“Be careful,” Stein said. “Those ‘sweets’ are worse than poisonous.”

Snart pulled up his goggles. “Oh, I trust Gideon to fix me right up if need be,” he replied. “But I don’t think we should trust Savage with any of these goodies, do you?”

He pulled the trigger on the Cold Gun and sprayed the shelves from top to bottom. The new device changed the color of the ray to a luminescent green. After covering all the shelves once, he did it one more time just to be safe, using a side-to-side motion. Then he pulled his goggles off and looked the gun over. “Kills bugs dead,” he said in satisfaction. “At least, I hope so. Gideon, what’s the word?”

“There is a slight alteration in the timeline,” the AI reported. “Now the superbug is released 20 years from this date.”

“So let’s mess up the schedule even more,” Mick said in his low rumble. “We’re in.”

“And we’ve found his network hub,” Sara said. “Everyone else ready?”

“Yes,” said Rip.

“Let’s _do_ this!” Jax exclaimed. Snart was sure he could hear the crackle of flames across the comm link.

“Ready,” Ray chimed in from down the hall. 

“On my mark,” said Rip. “Three, two, one, _mark_.”

Changing history with a computer worm turned out to be pretty anticlimactic, Snart thought as he walked out of the storage room to retrieve Ray. There were no flashing lights or loud sirens, no sounds of a computer system going down. It was pretty quiet. Except for that hissing sound...

He stopped suddenly. _Hissing?_ There was a _thump_ in the server room. He ran toward the door, opened it…

And didn’t know another thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m of the mind that “baby Hitler” wasn’t the problem the team should have worried about in 1x10 “Progeny.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow” is the property of D.C. Entertainment. My thanks to Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Company for creating characters that are just so much fun to play with.

* * *

_\--August 22, 2063 – LJ BioGene--_

Ray sat up with a groan. His eyes were too bleary to focus, so he rubbed them a little and then worked his way up to his skull to check for bumps. He’d gotten to the crown of his head when he stopped suddenly, and then rubbed his whole scalp quickly in disbelief.

His hair was gone. Well, most of it. What was left was soft, fuzzy stubble. He looked down at himself. _Wait a minute._ This wasn’t his shirt. And these weren’t his pants. Or his shoes. _What—?_

“—the hell is this?” a voice that sounded like his own growled to his left. He looked that direction and saw— _himself_ —sitting up on a cot. That shocked him so much, it took him a moment to register that they were both in a clear glass cage. It stood in the middle of a large room, its curving walls lined with scientific equipment. A floor-to-ceiling plate glass window looked out on utter darkness. The Cold Gun and the small case for the A.T.O.M. suit lay on a countertop, next to a large beaker of something neon orange.

“I’m not sure what this is,” Ray answered. He put his hand to his throat in surprise. He was speaking with Snart’s voice! “Uh, it looks like you are me and I am you.”

The other man— _Snart?_ —stared at him for a moment, then lay back down on the cot. “This is a nightmare. I’m going to close my eyes and wake up, and this will all be over.” He closed his eyes for only a moment, then cracked one open to look back at Ray.

“I’m still you.”

“Oh, _joy_!” Snart sat back up and swung his legs around to stand up. He took a step and swayed uncertainly.

“You might want to take it easy and get used to this,” Ray suggested. “I’m two inches taller than you… or I was… or my body is...”

“The extra altitude must have affected your brain!” Snart interrupted snappishly. “No wonder you babble.” He slammed a shoulder against the wall of the cage. Nothing happened. “Any idea what happened, or how we can fix it?”

Ray got up carefully and stood beside him. “No. But remember what you said about the mad scientist’s candy store? I think we’re going to meet the mad scientist.”

As if on cue, a door creaked open.

“Hope you had a nice little nap, gentlemen!” A small man with frizzy brown hair and a white lab coat strode into the room.

Ray glanced over at Snart. “Our mad scientist looks like the accountant from Ghostbusters.”

Snart rolled his eyes. “I doubt he’s going to turn into a drooling demon dog. Although that would be less of a nightmare than this.”

“Mr. Snart. Dr. Palmer.” The scientist looked at the correct man for each name. “I am Dr. Frederick. I’m glad to see the effects of the sleeping gas wore off so quickly.” He walked around the cage toward the windows. “Although, had you slept a couple of hours instead of minutes, you’d have been treated to a stunning sight. Once the sun rises, these windows let you see from Mount Soledad out to the Pacific.”

“A cell with a view,” Snart said. “Nice. I’ll be sure to mention it in my Yelp review.”

“How do you know our names?” Ray asked.

The little man turned back to them with a smile. “Your files are required reading for all disciples of Vandal Savage. We know about all your team. I am so delighted to meet you both.” He leaned in a little closer to the glass. “I was hoping to meet Miss Lance, though. I think she would have a unique perspective on my device, having been dead and all.”

“This little guy knows a little too much,” Snart said. “Which means Savage knows a little too much.”

“Oh, no worries, no worries!” Frederick told them, still smiling eagerly. “I have no intention of turning you over to my master. I only needed you to test the Soul Swapper out.” He walked over to the lab table and lifted a device that looked like Snart’s Cold Gun, but on steroids. He caressed it and looked back at the men in the cage. “You see, I plan to use it on him.” 

* * *

_\--August 23, 2063 – Waverider Bridge--_

“Before you wiped out the LJ BioGene computer network, I was able to upload all of its data,” Gideon reported. “Including the files on the so-called ‘Soul Swapper.’”

Blueprints were projected above the holo table. Stein picked up the thread. “This is probably one of the most wildly speculative devices ever created. Dr. Frederick’s original intent was to use this to transfer the minds of patients who were physically incapacitated but mentally sound to the bodies of physically sound but permanently brain-damaged patients.”

“Sort of like a whole-body transplant?” Jax asked.

Stein nodded. “Yes. Fredericks was able to exchange the minds of lab animals. But as you can imagine, there were tremendous ethical questions, so the project was shelved before he got to human trials.”

“And that’s when we were stupid enough to walk in,” Snart finished.

* * *

_\--August 22, 2063 – LJ BioGene--_

“For a minion, you’re not sounding very minion-ish,” Snart said to the scientist.

Fredericks’ genial expression disappeared. “I know what Vandal Savage is, and I know what he’s done over four millennia. I also know that only the hawk priestess can kill him. But killing him would just leave a void, and there are plenty of lesser evils just waiting to step in.”

“So you’re going to make sure there isn’t any void, by swapping your own mind with his,” Ray said, comprehension dawning.

“And then you put him on ice,” Snart concluded.

“Yes,” said Fredericks. “And then I will return this company to its original mission, and slowly redirect his other corporations away from destructive practices.”

“And as far as the rest of the world is concerned, Vandal Savage will have come to Jesus to become a kinder, gentler megalomaniac,” Snart said. “I almost like it. Except for the part where you used us as lab rats.”

The little man looked apologetic. “I needed to do a human test.”

“So, you’ve tested it.” Ray was startled by the low hiss Snart put into his voice. “Now switch us _back_.”

Fredericks shook his head. “The charge on this is limited. I need to use it on Savage first. He’ll be more alert after what you’ve done tonight. This is my only chance.” He stepped closer to the cage. “I’ll take care of him, then recharge the Swapper and switch you.”

“How are you planning to get to him?” Ray asked.

“I’d be very interested to know that myself,” said a familiar voice behind them. “Working late again, Dr. Fredericks?”

Vandal Savage stood in the doorway, dressed in formalwear and a feral smile. “I was at the opera when I got an emergency call about problems with the computer network here. I had a feeling I would find you in the lab, Dr. Fredericks. But I’m pleasantly surprised to find you gentlemen here as well.” He walked up to the cage, and the insane smile grew wider. “If only Chay-Ara were here as well,” he whispered. He twitched aside his tuxedo jacket to reveal the Amon Dagger at his side. “That would make it perfect.”

Then he frowned. “Except for one thing.” He turned back to Fredericks. “I thought your late nights were all about loyalty.” He laid a hand over his heart, dramatically. “I am wounded to find they are actually about betrayal.”

The little man stepped back and pointed his device at Savage. He depressed the trigger—

And nothing happened.

“You draw a weapon on ME?” Savage roared. “You dare to betray ME?” He closed in on the little scientist and tore the Soul Swapper out of his hands, throwing it across the room to slam against a wall.

_That’s_ when it actually went off, firing a beam that hit a computer display wall. It exploded into flames, sending embers and shards of glass flying across the room. Savage grappled with the little scientist as the fire spread. When they reached the Soul Swapper, it blew up, sending shrapnel flying forcefully enough to crack the glass of the cage. Snart kicked through the now-weakened glass, shattering it. Once free, he and Ray ran through the smoke-filled room to save their gear from the blaze. The heat set off the apparently very combustible stuff in the beaker; it blew up, splashing them with the bright orange liquid.

More glass flew across the room as the huge picture windows were smashed in. It was the Waverider, hovering right outside.

“Looks like the cavalry’s here!” Ray shouted to Snart over the din. Then there was another powerful _boom_ behind them. The force of it sent them flying, but not before Ray saw Savage raise his dagger to stab the little scientist through the heart.

Then he knew nothing more until he woke up in the Medbay of the Waverider, still in the wrong body, and without a clue of what to do about it.

* * *

_\--August 23, 2063 – Waverider Bridge--_

“The Waverider’s stores contain nearly everything needed to build this device and switch you back to your proper bodies,” Gideon said. “We are missing one rare element.”

The holographic blueprint zoomed in on one section. Ray peered at it. “That’s palmerium.”

The others stared at him incredulously. “Palmerium?” Stein asked. “I don’t remember that from the American Journal of Physics.”

Ray looked a little sheepish. “Well, that’s the name I proposed to the Joint Working Party for the Discovery of New Elements.”

“Of course it is,” Snart scoffed.

Ray shot him a cold stare. “They hadn’t actually approved it before we left 2016.” Snart was staring right back, and for once, Ray didn’t break off eye contact. “When you spend two years developing a new element, you can choose your own name.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Stein raised his hands in a calming gesture. “That element by any other name will work just as well, if we can get our hands on it.”

“We can,” Ray said. He looked over at Rip. “We need to go to my place in 2014.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR’S NOTE: Writing this story gives me new respect for those who have mastered nonlinear storytelling.
> 
> Bits of trivia: There really is an American Journal of Physics, and a Joint Working Party for the Discovery of New Elements. There is not, however, any such thing as “palmerium.” Yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” is the property of DC Entertainment, and Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and company.

_\-- May 7, 2014 - Waverider Bridge --_

Time traveling was a little easier in Snart’s body than his own. At least he wasn’t throwing up. But then, neither was Snart, though Ray suspected it was taking a tremendous amount of willpower to prevent it. He might admire that kind of willpower if he wasn’t still so angry at the smug son-of-a…

He shook his head. Just because he was stuck in Snart’s body didn’t mean he had to start _thinking_ like him.

Eventually Snart rose from his seat and strode briskly out of the room, probably so he wouldn’t puke in front of everyone. Sara glanced around at the others and followed him out.

Stein rubbed his eyes under his glasses and got up. “I must be getting acclimated to time travel. That wasn’t nearly as bad as some of our other jumps. Jefferson, if you’re recovered enough, why don’t you and I start the assembly work.”

Jax stretched. “I’m with you, Grey.” He looked over at Ray. “Ray, we’re gonna fix this. That’s a promise from both of us.”

Ray gave the two men a half-smile as they left the bridge. Rip then stood before him. “That’s a promise from all of us. We _will_ fix this,” he said. “I’m going to check the timelines after this escapade.” Rip headed into his office.

Mick was still in his jump seat, eyes closed for a moment before he spoke. “You were _nice_ to him, weren’t you?” he asked in his gravelly voice.

Ray stared at him in surprise. “Well, yes,” he said. “I just told him—”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Mick interrupted, opening his eyes to lock them with Ray’s. “I can guess. Snart doesn’t do well with _nice_. Hand him a candy bar and he’ll check it for razor blades. It’s just the way he is.”

“The way he learned to be, you mean,” Kendra said.

Mick huffed out a soft laugh. “What’s the difference? We both learned early that kindness only comes before pain. Even with the Time Masters. They train with the carrot _and_ the stick, not the carrot _or_ the stick.”

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, the way he often did when talking about his time at the Vanishing Point. After taking in a deep breath and letting it out, he looked at the couple. “Snart hurts back before _he_ can be hurt. It’s nothing personal. It’s just what he does. He may be stuck in your skin, but don’t expect him to act like you.”

Mick stalked off. Kendra watched him go with sad eyes.

Ray noticed the expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Just thinking,” she replied. “I don’t think anyone’s touched Leonard Snart with love since he was a child.”

* * *

 

_\--May 7, 2014 – Waverider Crew Quarters--_

“You had to go be an ass again,” she said from behind him.

Snart only paused for a moment, and then continued pulling the t-shirt over his head. “You’re a little late for the peep show, Lance,” he drawled. “If you’d been a minute faster you’d have gotten to see me in my boxers. Or, actually, Ray in his. Although that would probably piss Kendra off.”

“Probably. But that’s not what I’m here for,” Sara answered. She walked around to look him in the eye.

He held her gaze. “So what _are_ you here for, Sara?”

“You had to go be an ass again.”

“Yeah, you said that,” he answered. He sat on his bed to put on a pair of running shoes. “Now, unless you have some other stunningly insightful observations, I’ve got to run to Ray’s place in 2014 to pick up his palmerium.” He said the name with a sneer.

She stood in front of him and laid a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to be mad at him for this. He’s just as stuck as you are, and just as scared.”

He stared at her hand for a second, and then shrugged it away to tie the laces with a savage tug. “I don’t _do_ scared.”

“You don’t _admit_ to doing scared. But you do it, just like the rest of us,” she countered, crossing her arms. “When you do scared, your insult-per-minute count goes up. I think you set a new record back there on the bridge.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So is the League of Assassins offering a course in psychology along with stabbing and strangulation?" 

She smiled. “Something like that. A good assassin…”

“Is there such a thing?”

She ignored his snide interruption. “…has to understand her target. She plans her hit, just like you planned your heists.”

He stood and looked down at her. “So I’m one of your targets?”

She shook her head. “No, you’re one of my team. The League also teaches teamwork. Being part of a team means understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Anything less can get you killed before you kill the target.” She paused for a moment and stepped just a little closer to him, uncrossing her arms. “I understand you.”

He studied her unwavering blue eyes, and asked, “So should I be flattered or frightened?”

She chuckled. “When you understand me, you’ll know the answer.” She sauntered to the doorway, and paused there to look back at him. “Understanding is easy. You just have to pay attention.”

* * *

 

_\--May 7, 2014 – Starling City –-_

Rip landed the Waverider in the football field at Starling City High School, the largest open space close to Palmer’s former residence. From there, it would be a thirty-minute walk. Snart may have been dressed for running, but he wasn’t going to run anywhere. Not with Ray’s feet. Merely walking with them still made him feel clumsy enough, even after hours of practice. Stein had said it was because his subconscious muscle memory still thought it was operating his shorter frame. And smaller feet.

Ray’s old place was in one of those gentrified yuppie neighborhoods, a collection of duplexes with tiny porches in the front, the kind people decorated with potted plants and Adirondack chairs they never sat in. Ray’s didn’t have a chair, but it did have a pot of bright red geraniums next to the door. Snart bent down and picked up the fake rock half-buried in the dirt and pulled out the spare key hidden inside before Ray even had a chance to tell him about it over the comms.

“You know, things like that don’t fool professional crooks,” Snart said, unlocking the door. “I’m in.”

The living room had a comfortable, lived-in look. Not the slovenly kind of “lived-in” he remembered from the house he grew up in. This place looked… cozy, with a knitted afghan draped over the sofa, photos on the walls and vases of flowers scattered about, and a paperback copy of an Asimov novel left on the coffee table, its spine cracked from many readings.

It felt like a _home_. Unlike anyplace Snart had lived in for as long as he could remember, except maybe the Waverider.

“My man cave is through the door on the left,” Ray told him.

Snart went through the door and looked around. “Man cave, huh? It doesn’t look very cave-like.”

The window blinds were tilted at just the right angle to allow morning light to spill in, while still protecting privacy. The room was a hodgepodge of office and gym, with a weight bench in one corner, a desk, bookshelves and a worktable taking most of the rest of the space. A shadowbox display of Ray’s merit badges had a place of honor on one wall, and a vintage “Tron” movie poster took up another.

“The palmerium is in a case in my top desk drawer,” Ray told him. Snart walked over to the desk. “It’s locked—”

“Not anymore.” Easy picking.

Ray snorted. “Should’ve known. Okay, look for a small silver metal case.”

“Got it. On my way.” He slipped the case into the pocket of his hoodie and closed the drawer, accidentally knocking over a small photo on the desk. He put it back up and studied it for a moment. The picture showed Ray and a woman wrapped around each other and smiling on some beach. It looked like the beach in the display in Ray’s room on the Waverider.

“That was a short run.”

Snart froze at the female voice behind him. He turned slowly to see the woman in the photo standing in the doorway, wearing a white terrycloth bathrobe.

“Oh, my God,” Ray breathed over the comms. “That’s Anna.”

Anna. Ray Palmer’s late fiancée, still alive. Snart covered his surprise with what he hoped was a wide Boy Scout grin. “I’m going back out in a moment. I just realized I forgot to take care of something.”

Anna strolled over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m glad you did. I didn’t get a chance to say a proper ‘good morning.’” She pulled his head down and, _oh God_ …

“Oh, God,” Ray said back aboard the Waverider. “Snart, don’t you dare…”

Snart had no intention of daring anything, but _damn_ Anna had a good grip on him. And _damn_ but she was a good kisser. And… _tongue_? And Ray’s body was of course responding to her kiss. _Not one of the ladies at all_ , he thought. One of her hands slid down between them to tug at the belt of her robe. That gave him the opportunity to pull slightly back from her. “Now that’s what I call a ‘good morning,’” he said gently. “But we’ve got a lot to do today.” At least he hoped they did, because he wasn’t getting any help right now from the real Ray Palmer. _Hope he didn’t have a heart attack in my body._

She pouted slightly as she stepped back, tightening her robe again. “I suppose you’re right. I have a bunch of wedding stuff to do.” She left the room but kept talking, rattling off a series of errands she was planning for the day.

“Snart,” Ray said in a strained voice. “Before you go, I want you to tell Anna something for me. Something I didn’t get a chance to say.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Snart replied, leaning in the doorway of the “man-cave.” Anna came back into the living room, now fully dressed and frowning.

“Ray, were you even listening to me?”

Snart tried for a wounded look. “Sure I was! Hairdresser, caterer—”

Anna cut him off. “Don’t lie to me, Ray. You’re not good at it,” she said. She walked to stand in front of him, arms crossed. “So what were you thinking about?” she asked.

Snart took a breath, and began repeating the words Ray fed him through the comms. “I was thinking that some people think I’m lucky because I’ve got money and success.” He drew closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “But those aren’t the things that make me lucky. Without the light and love you bring into my life every single day, nothing else matters.”

She was loosening up now, her arms uncrossing. He caressed the side of her face. “I want you to know just how much you’ve become a part of me. The happiest day of my life is the day you said you’d marry me. Without you, I’m just some goofy, babbling tech nerd. A rich one, but you know they say money can’t buy happiness. You make me the best Ray Palmer I can be.”

The real Ray’s voice—his voice—was choked now, and Snart paused. He couldn’t remember sounding like that since—when? Ever?

Anna’s eyes were wide and soft as she gazed up at him. “Ray, what brought this on?”

There was no help coming through the comms. Snart could hear Ray taking a shaky breath, but no words followed it. So he improvised and drew her in close. “I just don’t think I tell you often enough how much I love you.” He pressed a kiss to her hair and held her silently for a moment. Just a moment. “Now, don’t you have an appointment to get to?”

With a sigh she pulled away. “You’re right.” She kissed his cheek quickly and headed for the door. “You know, you should write all that down for our wedding vows.”

Snart smiled. “I’ll do that. See you later.”

A kiss blown across the room, and she was gone.

“Thank you,” Ray said in a shuddering voice. “Anna…. Anna will be murdered in a few hours. I didn’t get a chance to tell her I loved her that day, before she died.”

Snart didn’t answer. He stepped back into the “cave” and picked up the beach photo. He slipped it into the hoodie’s other pocket. He took one last look around the place, then quietly went out to head back to the Waverider.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow is the property of D.C. Entertainment.

_\--May 7, 2014 – Aboard the Waverider--_

Stein and Jax must have been listening to everything that happened during the visit to Ray’s home. They were both subdued when Snart delivered the palmerium. The professor even dared to give him an almost-fatherly pat on the shoulder. _Almost_ fatherly; Snart’s own dad would’ve done it a lot harder. With a closed fist.

He tried staying to help them work, but his hand-eye coordination was nearly non-existent in Ray’s body. After the fourth time he went chasing after a dropped tool, Stein gave him another almost-fatherly pat. “Mr. Snart, it’s just the muscle memory playing tricks on you. Dr. Palmer’s been having the same problem. Jax and I can get this done. Why don’t you go get some rest?” A polite way of saying, _Please go away before you wreck this?_  

He hadn’t slept since waking up in the Medbay, post-explosion, but his brain was racing too fast to let him rest. Instead, Snart found himself wandering slowly through the Waverider, keeping a hand on the wall for balance. _Damn muscle memory._ He could swear it was getting worse.

Rip was in his study, still poring through timeline records. He moved on. They’d be getting another history lesson soon enough. He wasn’t up to one now.

Sara and Kendra were sparring in the hallway near the lower hold. Sara stopped long enough to study him, a thousand questions in her eyes. They’d have to wait till later, though, when Kendra wasn’t around. She wouldn’t understand the answers.

He wasn’t sure he understood them himself. But Sara might. He still wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or frightened about that.

He gave Sara a slow nod, motioned for them to carry on, and kept walking. He’d learned a long time ago to keep out of the ladies’ way when they went all bird of prey on each other.

Mick was in his room, back to the door, practicing tai chi, of all things. Sara had taught him some moves as part of his rehabilitation from being Chronos. Gideon said it was important for Mick to have some outlet besides violence when he felt too much strain. Calming routines made it less likely they’d ever have to use that trigger word.

Snart knew he was the reason Mick needed calming routines. Quietly, he moved on.

Eventually, he wound up in the armory, where he found Ray fiddling with his A.T.O.M. suit. To his relief, the other man didn’t start blubbering at him. Instead, he seemed tense, his jaw tight as he clumsily tried to adjust the helmet’s visor.

Snart was pretty certain he knew why Ray was so worked up: He was worried about what had happened with his fiancée. Snart sat on one of the storage bins and said quietly, with no trace of sarcasm, “Ray, I’m sorry about Anna. She seemed… very nice.”

Ray stopped and just looked at him for a moment. Then he asked hesitantly, “Uh, how nice?" 

Snart heard the unasked question loud and clear. “A kiss, Ray. A _good_ kiss, but nothing more than that.”

Ray looked relieved. “Uh, well, okay then. Because it would have gotten really weird if you and she… I mean, if she had… with your mind in my body… Would that have been cheating?”

“Raymond, I’m one of the last people on this ship qualified to answer morality questions,” Snart told him. He pulled the picture frame out of his pocket. “Brought this back for you. Hope Kendra won’t mind.”

“Kendra and I both have our ghosts,” Ray said, taking the picture and sitting on another bin across from Snart with a tired sigh. “Anna was… more than nice. I wasn’t just making it up back there, when I said she made me better. You know, when you love someone like that…”

“I wouldn’t know,” Snart interrupted without venom.

“Sorry,” Ray said, sounding like he meant it. “But—you had your sister…”

Snart shot him an odd look. “My family may have been complicated, but never _that_ complicated.”

“Oh, whoa, I didn’t mean…”

“I know, Ray. Just giving you a hard time.” Snart was quiet for a moment. “Still. Sorry about Anna.”

“Thanks.”

They fell silent again. Ray blew out a sigh, unable to stay silent for long. “I hate waiting. This is like being in prison.”

“Didn’t know prison was on your resume.”

“I was in the gulag,” Ray pointed out.

“For less than 24 hours,” Snart countered, “And you were unconscious for most of that.”

“And I was held captive by H.I.V.E.” That got Snart’s attention. “Miniaturized. Now I know what a mouse feels like before getting fed to a boa constrictor. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to keep a snake again. Or a mouse.”

“I’m sure Kendra will appreciate that,” Snart said dryly. He thought about Ray’s analogy. “I guess this is a little like prison. Without the crappy guards, the riots and the bad food.”

That got a chuckle from Ray. “But every time I was in prison,” Snart continued, “I knew it wouldn’t be for long. I’d find a way out, or Mick or Lisa would bust me out. This time, Lisa’s not here, and this,” he pointed back and forth between them, “is way out of Mick’s skill set. But not knowing is worse than the waiting.”

They resumed their silent vigil. Minutes ticked by. Then the professor’s voice came over the intercom.

“It’s done.”

* * *

 

_\--Five Minutes Later--_  

The whole team gathered in the lab, looking at the finished device on the worktable. It was a twin to the one Ray and Snart had seen in San Diego. Stein and Jax had already successfully tested the firing system, and Gideon’s simulations showed it would work as advertised in the late Dr. Fredericks’ plans. Still, the professor sounded a warning note. 

“We don’t have any eyewitness reports on how this device is supposed to work, since you two were unconscious when you were swapped. And even if I didn’t consider testing this on animals to be inhumane and unethical, animal minds are not like human minds, no matter how much one might wish to anthropomorphize.”

“So we’re back to being human lab rats,” Snart said.

Ray shrugged. “What’s the worst that could happen?” 

Stein exchanged glances with Jax and Rip. Then the Captain said, “You could be vaporized on the spot.”

“Don’t get worse than that,” Mick grunted.

Sara asked, “What if we leave things as they are?”

“Not a fan of that idea,” Snart replied.

“Not a fan of dying, either,” Ray said.

“Just until we can test it more,” Sara persisted.

Stein took his glasses off to polish them, a classic “delay the bad news” move. He sighed and put them back on. “I’m afraid we can’t wait,” he said. “As I said, animal minds are not like human minds. Fredericks’ work with animals didn’t show him the danger of his invention.”

“Explain,” Snart ordered tightly. “And try to keep the explanation in English.”

“Both of you have been having motor control problems since you were switched, and it’s only going to get worse,” Stein said. “Your subconscious minds are having trouble controlling the bodies they’re now trapped in. Right now, it’s a problem of coordination. But soon, it will be a problem with vital functions, like breathing. And the effects will only accelerate, exponentially, until they kill you.”

“How long?” Kendra asked worriedly.

Gideon answered, “My simulations show those controls will cease within two hours.”

“So we try it and you _might_ be dead,” Jax said, “or don’t and you _will_ be dead.”

“I vote for ‘might be,’” Snart said.

“So do I,” Ray agreed. “Professor, I— _we_ trust you and Jax. And Gideon.”

Stein took a deep breath. “All right, then, Dr. Palmer, Mr. Snart. Jax marked spots on the floor where you should stand.”

They took their spots as indicated. Kendra said, “Wait!” She stepped up to Ray and kissed him. “For luck.” She turned to Snart, and to his surprise, planted a soft kiss on his cheek too. “We need you both back the way you were.”

She moved back out of the way. Snart and Ray looked at each other, then back at the group. Snart gave their companions a wry salute, while Ray told them, “See you on the flip side,” with a gentle smile.

It was another expression Snart couldn’t remember ever seeing on his face before. This one, he liked.

Rip lifted the Soul Swapper. “Good luck, gentlemen.” Then he pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR”S NOTE: This chapter was started before the airing of “The Magnificent Eight.” So I got another surprise during that bit of dialogue about Sara’s smile. Between that and the Armageddon Virus, I’m feeling a bit of déjà vu all over again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: Don’t own. Though I want to.

* * *

_\--May 7, 2014 – Waverider Medbay--_

Ray woke to a sarcastic drawl declaring, “You know, waking up in Medbay is getting kind of old.”

That was Snart’s voice. His _real_ voice.

“It worked?” Ray asked, opening his eyes to see Kendra hovering over him, a hopeful look on her face. Snart was sitting up on the opposite bed, flanked by Mick and Sara.

Ray looked down at himself, and then ran his hands through his hair. _His_ hair, not the buzz cut. “It worked!” he repeated with a laugh, reaching out to pull Kendra in for a hug and a kiss.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Tired, but… I feel like me! Snart, what about you?”

The other man stretched. “I’m feeling… unvaporized.”

“Is that even a word?” Jax asked.

One side of Snart’s mouth quirked up. “Just made it up. Here’s another one that fits: De-nerdified.” The crack came out mildly, and Ray knew it was just a token show of mockery, for form’s sake. He gave Kendra a little squeeze to reassure her.

Snart slid off his bed and lurched into Sara. He growled in frustration. “Oh, come on! Muscle memory again?”

“Your subconscious has spent the past 24 hours trying to control a different-sized body,” Stein theorized. “It needs some time to catch up. If I were a physician, I’d recommend taking it easy and getting a good night’s sleep.”

“I can confirm Dr. Stein’s recommendations,” Gideon announced. “Your vital signs and brain scans are now within physical norms. You are free to leave the Medbay.”

“Gideon, is it safe to take them into the temporal zone?” Rip asked.

“Yes, Captain Hunter,” the AI answered.

“Excellent. We’ve squatted on this football field long enough,” Rip said. “Mr. Snart, Dr. Palmer, glad to have you back where you belong.” He turned to leave the Medbay.

“Rip,” Ray called. “You never told us. After all of this,” he waved his hand in a circle, “did we make enough of a difference with Savage?”

Rip turned back to them with a smile. “Oh, you did indeed. Gideon?”

A news article appeared on the wall display. “Vandal Savage disappeared the night of the explosion at LJ BioGene,” Gideon said.

“Just as he’s done every time he’s murdered Khufu and Chay-Ara,” Rip added, shooting an apologetic glance at Kendra. “We’ll have to track him down again.”

“What about the bioweapons research?” Sara asked.

Gideon continued, “A month after the explosion, the family of Dr. Allen Fredericks filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company, alleging negligence and public safety violations. They reached a settlement making the Fredericks family the majority stockholder of LJ BioGene. They turn the company back to its original mission of longevity and immunological research. The superbug will never be made.”

“Scratch one germ war factory,” Mick said in satisfaction.

“That’s just what Fredericks wanted to do,” Ray said. “He wasn’t such a bad guy.”

“For a mad scientist,” Snart pointed out.

Ray shrugged. “Still… he helped us stop Savage. Score one for the good guys.”

* * *

_\--Next Day – Temporal Zone--_

Twelve hours later, rested and re-acclimated to his own body, Ray walked back into the lab, carrying his shrunken A.T.O.M. suit. Snart was already there, the Cold Gun in pieces on the table.

“Everything in good working order there, Raymond?” Snart inquired, just barely glancing up from his work.

Ray opened the case and expanded the A.T.O.M. suit to full size. “There’s a problem with the helmet…”

“Not what I was asking about,” Snart said, starting to reassemble the Cold Gun’s barrel.

Ray stopped in surprise. “Oh. You mean am _I_ in good working order?”

“I did try to leave everything the way I found it,” Snart replied.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” Ray answered. “Um… Kendra said thanks for not buzzing off my hair. She kind of likes to run her fingers in it…”

“TMI, Raymond. I already know more about your sex life than I care to.”

Now _that_ sounded like the Captain Cold that Ray knew, all chilly drawl. Still, it didn’t hurt to be polite in return. “Sorry. Uh, everything OK with you?”

Snart’s eyes flicked up to meet his. “Once I finish fixing my gun.”

“Oookaaay,” Ray answered with a nod. “Uh, could you pass me the soldering iron?”

Snart handed over the tool. Ray switched it on and turned back to the suit, noticing he could see Snart reflected in the faceplate.

The two men kept working in silence. Then Snart said, “You know, I did learn something from all of this.”

Ray kept focusing on the connector he was trying to solder back together. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“You’re not a complete dork after all.”

Ray turned to look at him. “I’m not?” He yelped when he accidentally touched the hot tip of the soldering iron to his free hand.

Snart rolled his eyes and shook his head. “85 percent dork.”

Ray shook his wounded hand as he thought about it. “85 percent? I can live with that.”

He turned back to the suit, and blinked at what he caught for just a second in Snart’s reflection.

It just might have been a smile.

* * *

> _Just walk a mile in his moccasins_
> 
> _Before you abuse, criticize and accuse._
> 
> _ If just for one hour, you could find a way _
> 
> _To see through his eyes, instead of your own muse…_
> 
> _Brother, there but for the grace of God go you and I._
> 
> _Just for a moment, slip into his mind and traditions_
> 
> _And see the world through his spirit and eyes_
> 
> _Before you cast a stone or falsely judge his conditions_.
> 
> _\--_ Excerpted from “Judge Softly” by Mary T. Lathrap
> 
> Complete text available at aaanativearts dot com.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I’d forgotten how fun it was to do this. Thanks for the kudos and kind reviews.

**Author's Note:**

> ADDITIONAL AUTHOR’S NOTES: This story was inspired by an answer given during the “Legends of Tomorrow” panel at WonderCon in Los Angeles on March 27, 2016. The actors were asked whom they’d want to play if they could play any other Legend, and Brandon Routh’s answer was, “Captain Cold.” It got me to thinking what that might look like, and I started writing just before the airing of 1x10 “Progeny.” Any similarity to that episode’s storyline is not intentional; it came as a big surprise to me. (So did the quick resolution of the Mick Rory problem, and I still haven’t bought it.)
> 
> Historical note: Attila the Hun terrorized Europe for a brief but bloody nine year period, which included the razing of the Italian town of Aquileia one year before his death.
> 
> Pop culture note: Jax is right; this was the plot of a bad Star Trek episode. “Turnabout Intruder” is considered one of the two worst original series episodes.


End file.
